Companionship

The next three days were a blur. Masao spent his time as he usually did, watching TV and sleeping, but now he had an annoying girl constantly walking around the house and asking him questions.

He let her sleep in his bedroom, since he was used to using the couch and had nowhere else for her to sleep. She kept insisting that he should sleep in the bed instead because maybe it would give him more energy, but he didn't want to.

The best thing about having her there was that she could give him energy when he needed it. When he wanted to do something or go somewhere, she could shock him. They decided it would be best to not do it all the time because they didn't know if it would have any negative effects on him. Usually it would last a few hours, giving him lots of energy, and when it wore off he would hit a really low feeling.

It was like coming down from a high. When you were off of it, it hit you like a train. Yoli felt extremely guilty when it first happened, but he assured her it was fine.

The first thing she did on the start of their first full day living together was begin to clean the house. She threw out all the dead plants and started a list of things they needed to get when they went out next. The fridge was almost empty, and she wanted to buy fresh ingredients. He hadn't had a real cooked real in forever and he was a little hesitant.

She cleaned off all the tables and surfaces in the house, leaving the kitchen sparkling. She also vacuumed the floors with a dusty old vacuum cleaner that was shared among the apartment's residents. Unfortunately, not all the stains came up.

"Where did you even learn to do housework like this? Were you a maid or something?" he chuckled, imagining Yoli in a cute maid outfit.

"No. My father taught me everything. He lived alone after my mother died, and we weren't allowed to go outside. So I spent my time doing housework," she smiled.

"You weren't allowed to go outside?" he questioned.

"It was dangerous to go outside...it was better to keep away from the outside," she said. Masao had no idea what she was talking about.

"Surely it wasn't that dangerous back then...was your pop paranoid or something?"

"Mm...no. It was to teach me life skills and protect me."

He shrugged. Clearly she didn't know much about why her dad raised her the way he did either. It seemed strange to him though. When she was alive, it would have been safe to go outside and experience life. Keeping her inside to do housework felt odd and slightly creepy to him.

Yoli continued to explore the house, sweeping the bathroom floor and throwing out the trash. He tried to help her at least a little, but it was hard to break from his usual routine.

There was a loud knocking at the door and he groaned, not wanting to welcome in another visitor. He had to decide quickly if he was going to make Yoli hide herself or not. It could be someone from COT, but it was more likely to be his neighbor.

"Come in," he said loudly. The door creaked open and a plain looking man entered. He was wearing a basic outfit with just socks on. Yoli stepped out of the bathroom with a wet mop in her hand and stared at him.

"So, you got a girlfriend now?" the man laughed.

"She's not my girlfriend," Masao said, leaning his head back so he could see the man. The man snickered and walked over to Masao, who was lounging on the couch. He had a grocery bag in his hand.

"You can keep that stuff, unless you brought cigarettes. I want those."

"What? You don't want the food anymore?" the man complained. "Don't tell me you're making that girl do all your chores...you dirty little..."

"Nah, we were gonna go out together tomorrow. I don't wanna pay you for this anymore, sorry," Masao shrugged. The man handed him a pack of cigarettes while shaking his head. "Only one?" Masao asked, handing him a wad of cash from his pocket.

"I figured your lungs might need a break. All these smokes are making your heart worse," the man laughed, patting Masao strongly on the shoulder.

"Oh shut up," Masao sighed. "Thanks though."

"Yep, just yell at my door if you need something," the man said, returning to the open door of the apartment. He waved goodbye to Yoli, who waved back with a friendly smile.

"Was that Masao's friend?" she asked after he left.

"He brings me food and stuff so I don't have to go outside and get it myself."

She nodded, returning to the chore she was doing before.

"Hey, let's go out tonight. We can get everything on our list," he called to her. She gave him a thumbs up through the kitchen window cutout.

---

Masao swung the keys to his apartment around his finger. Him and Yoli were walking side by side down the sidewalk. It was sunset, and the city had taken on a hazy fog. He had gotten another shock from her before they went out, so he was sure he would be able to protect her if anything bad were to happen.

They made their way to the nearest konbini. It's windows were shattered and the door was barely hanging onto it's hinges. Despite the ragged exterior, there was a weary looking employee standing inside.

They walked inside, Masao entering boldly and Yoli following quietly behind him.

"What did you write on that damn list?" he asked, noticing the long piece of paper she had. She ran around the store to grab all the ingredients she needed and put them into a basket. The supply was low due to all the looting, and even a convenient store like this wouldn't have everything you needed to cook a meal. It was the best they had though.

At first he had planned on stealing the things they needed, but Yoli was strongly against that. Her morals were through the roof compared to his and every other person alive. He felt like a dog on a leash, being dragged around just for her to lecture. Every time he would suggest doing something that was even slightly immoral, she would fight him about it.

Their "fights" were not the kind that you would see in a typical household these days though. It was usually more like a quiet girl gently complaining about something, while a lazy pile would argue back, and the cycle continued until he finally sighed and gave in.

When she came back to him her basket was completely full.

"Guhh...you trying to make me broke or what?" he grunted, taking out his wallet. They paid the cashier and left the store. He couldn't imagine what could convince that person to work there all day with no customers and just thieves stopping by, but he guessed that they were employed by COT.

They walked back to the apartment while the sky was slightly darker. He looked down at her, walking sweetly by his side and swinging their bag of groceries in front of her.

"Do you always walk like a baby?" he said teasingly. She looked up at him with her cheeks puffed out.

"I do not! Babies can't walk."

"Suuuuure," he chuckled. He placed his hand on her head which made her stop walking. She tried to shake his hand off but was unsuccessful. He patted her hair a few times, laughing at how helpless she was.

He stopped laughing though when she admitted defeat, standing there completely still and accepting that his hand belonged there. He narrowed his eyes, letting his hand fall through her hair and rest at his side. He could only see the corner of her face because of their height difference.

"How long will this last?" she asked. It came out of nowhere. He certainly didn't see it coming.

Her mood had changed in a matter of seconds. The bag of groceries hung low in her hands, and he could see her gradually gripping the handles of the plastic bag tighter.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Masao is ill...and those people...are going to find us," she said. His eyes softened at her words. She knew more than he thought she did. Although she didn't understand what COT truly was, or the severity of the circumstances she was placed in, she knew one thing; that being with him was a danger to them both.

They had only been together for a few days, but even he had become used to her being around. Her sweet "good morning" that would call him out of his long sleep, the smell of her amazing cooking, the sound of her feet crossing the floor- maybe he was beginning to find comfort in something that was temporary.

"Those people aren't...they aren't going to find you. They won't. I'm not going to let them take you," he said calmly. He placed his hand on her head again.

"Masao can't make promises he won't keep. Masao is a liar," she said quietly.

"Hey, I thought we were over that...I'm not a liar, okay?" he said. "I won't let them take you from me. They won't hurt you."

He knew his words could do nothing to put her heart at ease. Deep down they both knew that in the future, they would have to part. He didn't want to think about how much it would hurt then. When they were a few weeks, months, years down the line, Yoli would have to leave. Then, he would be even more attached to her than he was now.

Maybe then he would know her voice by ear, and recognize her scent among a bunch of old woman's perfumes and overpowering drugs. Maybe then he would be able to recognize her by just the feeling of her skin, or know what her tongue tasted like against his.

But just for now he was okay with this arrangement. He was okay with keeping her around. If it meant he could feel alive, then he would take the risk. Even if he died tomorrow, he had felt that high- the high of all highs, the one that was only possible through Yoli.

"Come on, let's go home," he said, continuing to walk.

She followed behind him quietly. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he accidentally tripped over a man's leg. The man was sprawled out on the sidewalk with an empty can of beer in his hand. The man simply grunted, too drunk to be conscious enough to get into a fight.

"Freaking street hog..." Masao mumbled under his breath. Yoli cautiously eyed the man before hurrying after her purple haired guardian.

"Masao...what's a street hog?" she asked.

"You know...people who are no good partiers. Drunks, addicts, people who stay out all night at raves and crap," he grumbled. "They're the reason the streets are covered in a bunch of crap," he said, kicking an empty can out of his way.

"Why do you call people mean names?" she asked him with a slightly upset tone.

"Ah, don't be like that. Everyone calls 'em that. They call guys like me names too, like lazy ass, worthless pile, and stuff. 'Street Hog' is just the agreed upon term for people like that, just like how I'm a part of the laze craze."

"Masao takes part in group bullying...hm," she nodded, as if taking note of something important.

"Arghhh...you're gonna kill me one day. It's not group bullying, it's a name for a group of people Yoli. Stop acting like a freaking PS," he rolled his eyes.

"PS?"

"I seriously need to teach you about this world..." he sighed. "A 'Protected Soul', people who live in COT facilities. You know that nice building that Yamada kept you in?"

"Oh yes, I remember."

"Good. People live in places like that so they can be protected from the outside world- protected from people like us," he grumbled. "We call 'em protected souls because that's what COT calls them, but people mostly refer to them as leeches, 'cuz that's what they are."

Yoli was silent and he guessed she was probably thinking of what to respond with so she could lecture him for calling people leeches.

"We have to pay COT for basic necessities, and they use that money to fund not only their psycho experiments, but the living expenses for the leeches. Those people live off of our hard work and suffering. That's why everyone hates them, and I'm sure if one of them ever left their cozy little facility they would be killed instantly," he smirked. "So what I mean is, you're acting stuck up. PS numskulls act like they're better than the rest of us."

"Masao! That's scary!" Yoli said. He looked back at her and could tell that she was frightened.

"Err- I'm sorry. That's the truth though."

"..." she stared at him for a moment and then got a slightly offended look on her face. "I'm not stuck up!" she wined sweetly.

"Yeah, yeah...you aren't," he chuckled. He grabbed her hand to make sure she wouldn't be taken by anyone. They were almost back home already and Yoli seemed interested in something else.

"Masao had friends before?" she asked when they were outside of the apartment.

He stopped and looked at her with confusion written all over his face. "What? Why are you asking?"

"I saw photos in Masao's room...when Masao was happy with friends," she frowned.

"Heh, you're snooping around now?" he laughed.

"They were on the wall!"

"Why do you care anyway?" he raised his eyebrow at her. "They're members of my gang."

"M-Masao's gang?" her eyes widened.

"Yeah, a bunch of losers. Of course that includes me too...we used to be a rowdy bunch of teenagers," he laughed. "I haven't seen any of them in years."

She grabbed his hand which surprised him. "Does Masao want to see them again?" she asked.

Just how much was she going to pry into his life until she was satisfied? He figured that was the price he would have to pay for choosing a companion like her.